Picnic
by bionic4ever
Summary: TEM5: A picnic leads to a life-altering discovery for the Austin family. How will Steve react when he hears the news? Thank you, Bionic Project members and special thanks to Julie.
1. Chapter 1

**Picnic**

Chapter One

"No! _No-no-no – NO!" _

Jaime sighed and prepared herself for the battle ahead. The fact that her adversary was giggling didn't lessen the impending challenge. "You like picnics, Sweetie," she reminded her daughter. "Let's put your sweater on now, so we can go."

"No!" Jenna stood still as Jaime held out the sweater, then ducked under her arm and took off running.

"Baby Alert!" Jaime called out to Steve, who was in the kitchen. "She's headed your way!" Steve stepped into the hall and cut Jenna off at the pass, lifting her off her feet and returning her to her mother.

"No!" Jenna repeated, shaking her head for emphasis, even as Jaime slipped her arms into the sleeves. 

"She's definitely her mother's daughter," Steve said, laughing. "C'mon, Bug – time to get in the car."

Jaime turned so Jenna couldn't see, then stuck her tongue out at her husband. "Tell you what," she suggested, "you get Jenna into her car seat and I'll take care of the lemonade."

"Doll!" Jenna demanded, reaching for her favorite doll as Steve picked her up. Jaime bent down and grabbed it, blinking away the dizziness before Steve could notice. She headed off to the kitchen as Steve carried their daughter outside.

Jaime sighed wearily as she began bionically squeezing her way through the pile of lemons. She was glad the baby was outside, so she could use the faster method. Jaime and Steve had vowed, before Jenna was even born, that she would never see them use bionics (or even hear the word mentioned) unless it was absolutely necessary. 

"Well, this is necessary," Jaime told herself. "Besides, nobody's looking." She poured the lemonade into the big thermos jug and sat down to rest for a moment before picking up the big basket of food and re-joining her family. There was really no reason for her to feel so tired, and she made a mental note to call Rudy if she was still not feeling right when they got home.

"I talked to Oscar this morning," Steve remarked as he drove.

"Okka!" Jenna parroted from the backseat.

"How is he adjusting? Has he made a decision yet?" Jaime asked, carefully phrasing her question to leave out any mention of Oscar's legs. He had been tuned up to full bionic strength several months earlier, and although it had been his desire at the time of his surgery to keep them at a much lower level, he still had not asked Rudy to tune them back down.

"He sounds OK," Steve told her, "but with Oscar, it's hard to tell. Maybe he finally realizes there are advantages to being...that way."

"Or maybe he's just refusing to deal with the issue at all," Jaime guessed. "I should go and see him. Without the Munchkin, of course, so we can really talk."

"We offered our support – more than once," Steve countered. "I don't think we should push it."

"Steve, the last thing either of us wanted to do in the beginning was talk about how it all made us feel. At least you and I had each other to lean on. I just...worry about him, that's all."

"I do, too," Steve admitted, pulling into the park. "But we're on a picnic now, so no more worries for the duration. We'll call him tomorrow, OK?" He smiled at his wife and kissed her as he opened her car door and helped her to step out.

It was a gorgeous day – cloudless, with the sun so bright that it gave everything an almost surreal tone. Jenna took off for the park as soon as her feet touched the ground, and Steve laughed. "I swear that girl never did learn to walk; she just got up on her feet one day and _ran!" _Together, with picnic supplies in hand, they took off after their daughter.

Jaime spread out the big, plaid blanket and sank down onto its softness. Jenna bubbled with joy as she picked a chubby fistful of daisies and brought them to her mother. "Thank you, Sweetie!" Jaime exclaimed. "They're beautiful." She patted the space beside her on the blanket. "Time to eat now."

"No!" Jenna giggled. This time, Steve was prepared, and looped a gentle arm around her, easing her onto the blanket.

He eyed Jaime curiously as they ate. Normally, she would've been frolicking through the grass with Jenna, but today she seemed quiet – almost subdued. "Are you still worried about Oscar?" he asked gently.

Jaime shook her head and nibbled at her sandwich. "I'm sure you're right; he'll be fine. If not, he's got both of us." She set the sandwich down and stared off into the distance, still feeling a little light-headed.

"Sweetheart...?" Steve probed. "Do you feel ok? You look a little pale..."

"What? Oh...I'm just tired, I guess."

Steve raised an eyebrow at her, about to question her further, but he was interrupted by Jenna's cheerful chortle. She'd finished her own lunch (Steve thanked Heaven for finger foods!) and was waiting expectantly. She knew that picnics _always _came with a special dessert.

"I know what you want," Jaime cooed. Turning to Steve, she whispered, "I've got a feeling I might regret this." Grinning broadly, she removed a small container from the basket and, with a huge flourish, handed their daughter a chocolate cupcake. "I've got plenty of wet wipes," she told Steve.

Steve chuckled and reached for a cupcake of his own. "Call Rudy if you're not any better tonight?" he asked casually, not really expecting Jaime to fall for such an obvious trick.

"I will – I promise," she answered, realizing too late that she'd just taken his bait. "But I'm sure he'll just tell me to get more rest – or something."

Once they had cleaned the frosting from Jenna's face and hands, Steve strapped her into a baby swing and pushed her tirelessly as Jenna sparkled with happiness. Jaime, watching from the blanket, sparkled, too, and her laughter was music to her worried husband's ears. She slowly began packing everything back into the basket and then played a bit herself, bouncing on one of the tiny rocking horses to Jenna and Steve's great amusement. 

Their light, happy mood lasted all the way back to the car. Steve strapped the baby into her seat and turned to embrace his wife, who suddenly wobbled strangely and then collapsed into his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Rudy's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You're asking me to _lie _to Steve?"

"Well," Jaime hedged, "not exactly. Just...don't tell him. Please Rudy?"

"Jaime -"

"I just don't know how he'll take this..."

"Honey," the doctor said, as gently as possible, "no matter how you look at this, it's serious. He's your husband; he has a right to know that you're -"

"And he will – I promise! I just...wanna ease him into it, that's all."

Jaime was well aware that Steve would be by her side at that very moment if it weren't for their daughter. Jenna had been wide-eyed and silent on the drive to Rudy's office, and to avoid frightening her further (since Jaime was conscious and alert again almost immediately), Steve had agreed to take the child to the cafeteria for some ice cream while Rudy gave Jaime a thorough check-up.

"He'll want an answer," Rudy pointed out. "If I know Steve, he won't leave this office until he knows without a doubt what's going on with you."

"Right," Jaime said, nodding agreement. 

"I suppose you have a suggestion?"

Jaime shrugged. She didn't like keeping anything from Steve, but this was different, somehow. "You can tell him I'm worn out, need more rest. It's...almost the truth."

"A partial truth, at best."

"I'll tell him, Rudy. I will! I just need a couple of days..."

"If he asks me directly," Rudy said as they stepped into the hallway, "I won't lie. But – I'll see if I can't borrow you some time."

_"Mama!!"_ Jenna called jubilantly, before the elevator doors were fully open. She'd already wrapped her arms around Jaime's waist in a joyful bear hug by the time Steve wearily made his way down the hall to join them.

"Go easy on Mommy, Bug," Steve chuckled.

"She's fine," Jaime assured him, sinking into a chair to make a lap for Jenna. "And I'm alright, too."

"...Rudy?" Steve questioned.

The doctor considered his words carefully. "I need to see her back here in a week," he told the anxious husband. "In the meantime," he glanced at Jenna, bouncing happily in her mother's arms, "while I know staying off her feet isn't realistic, I'd like Jaime to get as much extra rest as possible." 

"I'll see to it, Doc," Steve promised. He turned to Jaime. "Now I know why you're tired."

Jaime smiled. "Did you have a nice time together, Daddy?"

"We had ice cream, and we took our time, too, but afterward, Jenna just had to say hello to the nurses – every one of 'em – then she was thirsty so we stopped back downstairs for some juice. And _then..._" Steve sighed, and leaned over to kiss his wife's cheek. "I just don't know how you do it."

He was too tired to notice the 'Uh-huh' look that Jaime gave their doctor.

It wasn't a good week for picnics, or even for venturing outside onto the lawn; torrential rain for five days running kept the Austins housebound and was slowly making all three of them stir-crazy. Steve kept a very close eye on Jaime, sensing (correctly) that there was more to the story of her fainting spell than he'd been told. She appeared to be OK, though, other than some slight weather-related grumpiness, so he helped her out as much as he could and just...waited.

Lynda's visit toward the end of the week brought a welcome touch of levity to the house. As his wife and the nurse headed into the kitchen for tea, Steve almost thought he heard Jaime giggling. He busied himself in the den, allowing them their 'girl-time'.

"Did you find what I needed?" Jaime asked excitedly, passing the plate of cookies to her friend.

"Everything on the list," Lynda confirmed, smiling as she handed over the little brown bag. "But...puff paints...?"

"You'll see." 

"Oh," Lynda added, "I passed your message along to Oscar."

"And?"

"He was _very_ curious, Jaime -"

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"No, of course not. But you know you'll have to tell him yourself – and soon."

"Yeah, I know," Jaime sighed. "Do you think he'll do it, though?" The ringing phone interrupted them, and Jaime grinned. "Maybe that's him!" She took a long sip of tea and waited, allowing Steve to answer the call.

Sure enough, Oscar had come through. A few minutes later, Steve poked his head into the kitchen. "Sorry to interrupt, Ladies, but I have to head out. Some kind of last minute meeting with Oscar. I shouldn't be long."

"I'll miss you," Jaime told him as she kissed him goodbye. She waited several minutes after his car had turned out of the driveway before tearing eagerly into the paper bag. "Perfect!" she exclaimed, spreading the little t-shirt out over an old newspaper and placing the half-dozen paint pens in a neat line. "Let's get started."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jaime stepped back from the table and grinned happily as she wiped the paint from her hands. "Beautiful," Lynda told her. "Steve will love it."

"Hopefully, the weather cooperates," Jaime agreed. "It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow and the ground should dry out by Sunday – just in time for a picnic."

"Another picnic?"

"This one's gonna have a happier ending," Jaime promised her friend. "You'll see." Carefully, she carried the newspaper and its contents to the basement and laid them out flat to dry on the laundry table. _Hopefully, it'll be a __**good **__surprise, _she added silently in her head.

"Mama!" came the cry from the nursery; Jenna was awake and raring for action at the same moment that the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Lynda offered. "Seems someone's calling your name."

Jaime met Jenna's outstretched arms and whirled her onto the floor. "Yum!" Jenna crowed joyfully.

"Oh, are you hungry?" Jaime teased. Jenna had seen cookies going into the oven when she'd gone down for her nap, and she wanted one. Now.

"Yumyum!" Jenna said for emphasis, taking off for the kitchen.

"Just one, though," Jaime told her daughter, handing her a cookie. "Daddy'll be home soon, and then I'll make din-" She caught sight of Lynda's stricken face as her friend hung up the phone, and her vice cut off mid-sentence as Jaime sank instinctively into a chair. "Sweetie," she said carefully to Jenna, "why don't you find your doll and give her a bite of your cookie?" As Jenna tore off happily in search of the doll, Jaime turned her wary eyes toward the nurse. "Something's wrong," she stated flatly. "What happened?"

Lynda pulled a chair close to Jaime's and placed a hand on her arm. "That was Rudy. He told me not to go back there today. There's a gunman in the building...and he has hostages." Seeing the determination on Her friend's face, Lynda knew exactly what Jaime was thinking and what she wanted to do. Whether it was a good idea or not, Jaime would do it anyway, so Lynda would support her. "I know you need to find him; I'll stay with Jenna."

Jaime made the 20 mile drive in under 15 minutes, but was stopped by Security a block away from the office. "I'm sorry, Ma'am," the penguin-suited guard told her, "but you can't go this way. We've got a situation-"

"The hell I can't – my husband's in there!" Jaime flashed her ID badge, but the guard stood firm.

"Orders are that nobody goes in there," he said flatly.

Jaime sighed and got out of the car, leaving it at the roadblock. She debated simply jumping the barricade and making a break for the building at an unstoppable bionic speed (and probably would have done it) but was halted by a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Does Steve know you're here?" Rudy asked softly. Jaime threw her arms around the doctor for a comforting hug. 

"He is in there, then?" she queried, raising her head from his shoulder.

Rudy grasped his patient lightly by both arms, trying to steady her. "Honey, we don't know anything for sure. I passed him in the hallway and he was on his way to Oscar's office, just before this happened, but we don't know who the hostages are."

Jaime stifled a tiny sob, and Rudy tried his best to comfort her. "I'm sure he'll be fine – he's not about to take any crazy chances, knowing that you're -"

"He...doesn't know, Rudy..."

Rudy bit back the urge to chide her; Jaime was suffering enough. "Why not?"

"I...wanted to surprise him. I had it all planned. I just...need him to be happy about this, and I'm not sure..." Jaime's voice wavered as she forced back her tears and pulled herself up to her full height. "I've gotta go in there."

"Not a chance, Young Lady," Rudy insisted, stepping in front of her. 

"I have to agree with him, Babe," another voice added from behind them. Oscar had joined them from the street side of the barricades, surrounded by half a dozen dark-suited bodyguards.

"Oscar!" Jaime nearly cried with relief. "Is Steve with you? Is he OK?"

"We were in the coffee shop," Oscar explained, nodding toward a small diner just up the street. He hesitated when he noticed that Jaime seemed to be gripping Rudy for support. "My – uh – friends here came to tell us what happened, and that the perpetrator was demanding to see me..."

"Where's Steve?" Jaime asked, her mind whirling with awful possibilities.

"He's gone in to try and storm the gunman -"

"**No**!" 

Rudy grabbed Jaime tightly with both hands to keep her from falling over. "Help me get her to the car," Rudy told Oscar. "She needs to sit down."

Oscar stepped forward to assist but half a dozen datacoms crackled to life, stealing everyone's attention. "We have shots fired," a disembodied voice said from somewhere in the office building. 

Jaime looked up at Oscar's office window just in time to see the glass shatter as a body came sailing out, landing on the sidewalk.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

There was no time to react before a second figure appeared on the window ledge. Jaime had barely called out "Steve!" before he jumped and began running toward the wooded area in back of the building, disappearing into the trees. In the silence that followed, Jaime began to tremble, not knowing what was happening but sensing it was bad.

"I'll...find him," she told Rudy and Oscar.

"You'll stay right here," Rudy insisted, with Oscar nodding his stern agreement.

Jaime struggled to break away from them and had just knocked over the barricade when an explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet. The two men grabbed Jaime's arms to hold her back and gently eased her down to sit on the overturned fencing. 

Medics rushed in to scoop up the fallen gunman and Russ emerged from the building with a weeping secretary on each arm. There was no sign of Steve. Russ helped the two women into the back of a waiting ambulance before joining Oscar and the others. 

"You were...with the gunman?" Oscar surmised. Russ nodded, looking a little pale. "Anyone hurt?"

"Leslie and Tina are pretty shaken up, but we're all OK – thanks to Steve."

"What happened?" three voices asked him at once.

"The guy had a bomb, and he decided we were hiding you somewhere in the offices," Russ said, nodding toward Oscar, "so he said he'd just take down the whole building instead, and he tripped the detonator. That was when Steve knocked the door down. The guy shot at the door – blew a pretty good hole in it, too – and he kept on firing."

"Steve..." Jaime cried, tears beginning to fall in spite of her best efforts to stop them.

"He just missed Steve – too fast for him, I guess – and was about to grab Leslie when Steve elbowed him straight out the window," Russ continued. "Then he saw the bomb. It was down to under 60 seconds, and he knew if he threw it, it would land out here, so he jumped with it. I...didn't see where he took it."

"The woods," Oscar concluded. "He...hasn't come out yet." 

"Let's go," Russ said quickly. He and Oscar (and Oscar's entourage) headed toward the woods, and Jaime rose determinedly to her feet.

"No, Jaime," Rudy said gently. Before she could argue, searching became a moot point as Steve sauntered slowly out from the trees. Now, no one could hold her back and Jaime was the first to reach his side, throwing her arms around him like she never intended to let him go.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Steve shrugged. "Had a little wind knocked outta me, but I'm fine. Sure am glad to see you, but – what are you doing here?"

"That must've been one hell of a forward pass, Pal," Oscar remarked, joining them. 

"I've got a good arm," Steve said modestly, before turning to kiss his wife. "Let's go home."

The weatherman had been right; the next day, the sun was shining brilliantly enough to make up for five days of rain. In spite of the damp ground, Jaime decided there had never been a better day for a picnic. She hummed happy little tunes as she buzzed around the kitchen, making sandwiches and packing the basket. When Steve was fully occupied with loading the car, Jaime quickly put Jenna's new T-shirt on and zipped a jacket over it.

"No!" Jenna giggled, pulling at the zipper. After she'd opened it for the second time, Jaime gave up and pulled a light sweatshirt over her head instead. Jenna playfully stomped her foot, her lower lip quivering even as she laughed.

"Now, where did you learn that?" Jaime puzzled, picking up the little girl and carrying her to the car.

"So," Steve began when they were finally on their way, "what's up?"

"Huh?"

"If you were a cat, I'd be checking the birdcage. C'mon – spill it," he chuckled.

"It's a beautiful day, we're having a picnic – and I have a hero for a husband. What more can I say?" Jaime told him with an innocent smile.

"Not buyin' it. I just might have to tickle you...!"

"You're driving the car!"

"I can pull over."

"Yum!" Jenna called from the backseat.

"Not unless you're prepared to face the wrath of the hungry toddler," Jaime joked.

"Alright, you're off the hook – for now," Steve said lightly. He figured Jaime had probably designed some sort of hero medal and had Jenna color it for him. He had no idea...

The sandwiches were gone and the plate of cookies reduced to mere crumbs before Jaime finally made her move. "Ready to go play, Sweetie?" she crooned to Jenna. Jenna's feet were already moving beneath her as Jaime lifted her up and began removing the sweatshirt. "Probably too hot for this; let's get you comfy first."

It took a few seconds for Steve's mind to register what he was seeing. The front of the t-shirt read simply _**Look out, world! **_When Jenna turned to barrel toward the swings, he finally saw the rest, printed in bold, puffy colors on her back. 

_**I'm gonna be a BIG SISTER!**_

Wide-eyed, Steve turned to his wife. "Jaime...?"

"Surprise!" she said softly, leaning over to kiss him. She reached into the picnic basket for one more, extra-large cookie that she'd written on with icing, just that morning: _Daddy X 2._

Steve wrapped both his arms around Jaime and drew her closer for a real kiss. "Are you...OK with this?" she asked nervously.

"Definitely not," he whispered. "Not OK at all – I am over the moon! I love you, Sweetheart." He reached down and gently patted her still-flat tummy. "And I love you, too."

"_Daddy!"_ Jenna called impatiently from the swings. 

Steve laughed, rising to his feet. "You got it, Bug – here comes Daddy!"

END


End file.
